Not just a load of balls. (Netball)

Name: debod

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Product:	Netball
Date:	13.01.01 (351 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairly simple rules, tactically varied, fastmoving

Disadvantages: Not often on TV, needs a certain amount of equipment, little opportunity to play beyond school years

Tall, attractive, bouncy girls with fantastic legs are not the only good thing about netball. Considered a "girly" sport by some, given miserable coverage on TV (aren't most female-dominated sports?), even despised by some of those forced to play it at school, netball is, in my view, a brilliant game that deserves a better reputation.

As mine is the first opinion on this subject, I'll take it upon myself to explain the rules here. Those already familiar with the game might want to skip the next few paragraphs ... however it's been a while since I played the game (arggh! is it really THAT long?!) and the rules may have evolved in the meantime, so it might be worth taking the time to check my facts - let me know if I'm wrong about something.

The court is made up of three sections. The goalscoring sections are at each end of the court, and contain two semi-circles where a ringed net on a pole 10ft high (?) is placed. In the centre section there is a small circle where the game starts, and restarts after goals.

Teams are composed of seven players, each with a specific role and area of the court to cover. "Goal Keeper" has an obvious function: to stop the opposing team's Goal Shoot scoring. GK is allowed only in the relevant furthest section of the court. She is often one of the tallest members of the team, but, as well as being high-reaching, she ideally needs to be sturdy, and quick as she moves in a limited area.

"Goal Defence" is more mobile: she covers the furthest section AND the centre section and, like GK is allowed in the semi-circle. She defends against the opposing team's Goal Attack. She needs to be a good runner, jumper, and interventionist.

"Wing Defence" moves in the centre section and the furthest defence section, without entering the semi-circle. She marks the opposition's Wing Attack. She should be agile and tactically-minded.

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t;Centre" moves in all three sections, (the centre, and each extremity) but mustn't enter the goalscoring semi-circles. She plays opposite the other team's Centre. She should be a lively all-rounder with good lungs and strong ankles. She starts the game by winning the ball in a "toss-up" (pardon the phrase).

"Wing Attack" moves in the equivalent areas to Wing Defence but at the attacking end obviously. She needs to construct offensive moves and free up Goal Attack to move into the scoring area.

"Goal Attack" has stamina as well as acceleration. She moves in the centre and attacking end, and is allowed to score, so needs accuracy.

"Goal Shoot" stays within the attacking extremity and semi-circle. She needs the same skills as Goal Keeper, as well as phenomenal shooting accuracy.

One point is scored each time the ball is put down through the net. Unlike basketball, there is no backboard and players may not dribble the ball. This latter does NOT slow the game down though, as you must pass or shoot within three seconds. Believe me, basketball seems incredibly easy compared to this.

You may take one full step with your "non-landing" foot. So the best tactic is to jump when receiving the ball (whether it's necessary to jump or not) and clearly land with one foot before the other - then take a step with the other foot. You may then lift your "landing" foot off the ground and move forward with it, but you must get rid of the ball before putting the landing foot back down on the ground. This sounds absurdly complicated, but isn't in practice. It is amazing to watch how professionals do this - they look like they're running through the air with the ball, but if you watch in slow motion, they're doing what I've just described.

This REALLY IS a non-contact sport. You must stand three feet away from the person with the ball (sorry lads
!). It is not even permitted to touch the ball while someone else is holding it. This makes defending a highly-skilled exercise, involving blocking potential passes with your hands and body, and anticipating the direction of throws.

Because of the territory each player covers, it is possible to block players out of the game. Defenders will often stand behind their counterparts, preventing access to the semi-circle. Similarly attackers will try to get behind their markers and hold them at the edge of the semi-circle, thereby reserving the attacking area for themselves to run back into and receive the ball.

I apologise for this long-winded description. It is always hard to capture the essence of a sport in words, and unfortunately netball is rarely given TV time so it is proabably difficult to picture what I'm banging on about.

Nonetheless, it is a great, fast-moving, tactical game. I wish I could still play it, but it is non-existant in France, it seems to be a Commonwealth game. I'll have to content myself with my memories, which are full of glory! I was with the same team throughout school and college, and we won the Hampshire Under 16 championship and were finalists in many regional competitions. Our arch-rivals were Wildern School. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Wildern were B*****s... very aggressive and always with their hair pulled back tightly, giving them evil eyes! They used to put the fear of God into us, and they certainly created some fantastic matches.

One of the reasons our team was so good was its initiator: Mrs Jay of Orchard Lea Junior School. She was fab. We would trounce the other little teams 40-0! (I don't mean to boast - after all I'm talking about when I was ten years old... and I'm trying to pay tribute to Mrs Jay!)

The other reason is that, later on, we played against the boys in our secondary school. This was in the days when the sexes stuck to "their own"
sports". The boys' football team was farily useless, while we won lots of trophies. Hence they would declare that netball was easy compared to football, and give other such feeble excuses. Indignant at this slur on our prowess, we challenged them to play us, and after a few sessions, during which they caught up on the rules, they were actually really useful to practice against. Being new to the game, they refreshed our play. They also improved our aggressivity and stamina. I have to say that they appeared to enjoy netball as much as us, (if not more).

So, if even those humiliated, hardened, misogynist adolescents could change their outlook, I hope that dooyoo readers will give netball a chance too. (Thanks for the opportunity to reminisce! Phew - I'm exhausted!)

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